Published 9:50 pm, Wednesday, May 17, 2017

Weston's Cayla Koch won in straight sets at No. 1 singles to help lead the Trojans to victory over Barlow in the South-West Conference girls tennis team final at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Cayla Koch won in straight sets at No. 1 singles to help lead the Trojans to victory over Barlow in the South-West Conference girls tennis team final at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Sebastian Casellas won a three-set battle at No. 1 singles to help lead the Weston High School boys tennis team to a 6-1 victory over Newtown in the South-West Conference team championship at Weston High School May 17, 2017. less

Weston's Sebastian Casellas won a three-set battle at No. 1 singles to help lead the Weston High School boys tennis team to a 6-1 victory over Newtown in the South-West Conference team championship at Weston ... more

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Cayla Koch in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team final against Barlow at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Cayla Koch in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team final against Barlow at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Barlow's Maddy Massey in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Barlow's Maddy Massey in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Barlow's Maddy Massey in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Barlow's Maddy Massey in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Rachel Finkel in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conferfence girls tennis team final against Barlow at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Rachel Finkel in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conferfence girls tennis team final against Barlow at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Rachel Finkel, left, and Barlow's Sydney Higgins shake hands following their match at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team championship at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Rachel Finkel, left, and Barlow's Sydney Higgins shake hands following their match at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference girls tennis team championship at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Sebastian Casellas in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Newtown at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Sebastian Casellas in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Newtown at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Newtown's Joey Conrod in action at No. 1 singles in the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Newtown's Joey Conrod in action at No. 1 singles in the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Newtown's Joey Conrod in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Newtown's Joey Conrod in action at No. 1 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Newtown's Francesco Pelliccia in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Newtown's Francesco Pelliccia in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Newtown's Francesco Pelliccia in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Newtown's Francesco Pelliccia in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis final against Weston at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Charles Gosnell in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Newtown at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Charles Gosnell in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Newtown at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Photo: Richard Gregory / Richard Gregory

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Weston's Charles Gosnell in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Newtown at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

Weston's Charles Gosnell in action at No. 3 singles during the South-West Conference boys tennis team final against Newtown at Weston High School May 17, 2017.

WESTON — The Weston High School boys tennis team knows better than to mess with tradition.

So, after the Trojans battled through the afternoon swelter Wednesday to defeat Newtown 6-1 to win their seventh consecutive South-West Conference team title and their 14th in the last 15 years, they did what they always do after the conference crown is in place: they headed over to the football field and started running sprints.

Chalk it up as one part deep-rooted tradition and one-part relentless training.

“We work hard,” said Weston coach Gary Meunier, whose team will quickly turn its attention from celebrating the SWC title to preparing to defend its three consecutive state championships. “For us, it comes down to executing, and I think that’s been the focus all along. These guys have very lofty goals, and they’ve been together a long time.”

Sebastian Casellas provided a fitting exclamation point at the end of an afternoon of dominance for both the Weston boys and girls tennis teams by winning an epic three-set battle at No. 1 singles. After all the other matches had finished, and with dusk starting to creep in, Casellas and Newtown’s Joey Conrod continued to battle back and forth. Conrod won the first set, Casellas took the second, and with all their teammates lined up shoulder-to-shoulder along the fence, Casellas won the third to finish the day in style. Earlier in the day, the Weston girls had beaten Barlow 6-1 to claim their second straight SWC team crown.

How Casellas had the strength to even walk after his match, let alone run sprints, was a mystery.

“All this work, coming in from the fall and winter and playing our butts off, and this brotherhood we’ve created, it’s just such a fun time,” he said. “We’ve really come together as a team. This win, I’m kind of overwhelmed, but it’s special every year.”

The Casellas-Conrod battle was the only one to go three sets in either the boys or girls matches.

“I don’t have too many worries when it goes three,” Meunier said with a smile in reference to his team’s attention to conditioning —then walked over to where his players had gathered for their traditional post-SWC championship training session.

“We’ve had a fantastic season,” Newtown coach Mike Stedronsky said. “We knew it was going to be tough coming into this match. Weston is a very, very solid team. There was a lot of good tennis played today, and unfortunately, they were the ones who came out on top.”

“I think we’re actually a better team than we were last year. We’re a little stronger,” Weston coach John Martellino said. “I felt very confident, but you never know. It’s hard to predecit, but I felt good coming in.”

“I’m really proud that the girls took the initiative to change things up to try a little strategy,” Barlow coach Anne Santamaria said of her reconfigured lineup. “We had played them twice with the same lineup, and the girls really rallied and got together and strategized about who to put where. That was nice.”

Up next for the boys and girls teams are the SWC individual championships, set for Monday and Tuesday.

“Last year, I won that, too, so I’m going in a little more confident,” Koch said. “It’s exciting, and I like playing the girls in this conference because they’re all good players and I know all of them. And it’s my last year, so I want to just enjoy it.”